New movie-making fun of greeks??

[heyitszeta]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Did you start as a sorority? If not, then NO it's not your GLO's history.

We started as a sorority, technically went co-ed in the mid 80s and did not really become co-ed until quite recently. During the 80s and 90s I'm not sure we even had any male members. So our image has been that of a sorority until about 2006. And I wasn't venturing a guess when I said the sorority was based on us...it actually is. That's not to say I can't see how the movie would be seen as representing ZTA because of Zeta and the color and stuff, I can. But I'm not just coming in saying "oh hey, look at us, we're Zetas too, count us in!" haha. I just wanted to bring up that sometimes it's good to remember that there are other people in this world, and not everything is always about you. And I have noticed an attitude in this thread that if not alot of people know your org and it's local, it's not a big deal and nothing affects you. People who go to small colleges see movies too. Let me assure you, if we found this movie seriously offensive (like ZAZs were all drug dealers and sluts or something) we would be upset just as much as ZTA and would have just as much right to be, despite being a lesser known local.

That being said, I'm honestly tired of arguing over a pointless movie. So if anyone wants to claim they are right and I'm wrong, feel free. I'll probably still read this thread for amusement though.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by heyitszeta

We started as a sorority, technically went co-ed in the mid 80s and did not really become co-ed until quite recently. During the 80s and 90s I'm not sure we even had any male members. So our image has been that of a sorority until about 2006.

OK, now I'm really confused. Are you a girl or a guy?

Even if it is about your group, the addition of the turquoise color was something they did NOT need to do - as I stated, the other writer is from James Madison and would know damn well what Zeta Tau Alpha's colors are. So even if part of the story is about your sorority in particular, other things that were added to the movie are not a coincidence IMO, and were added specifically to discredit ZTA.

[heyitszeta]

Originally Posted by 33girl

OK, now I'm really confused. Are you a girl or a guy?

Even if it is about your group, the addition of the turquoise color was something they did NOT need to do - as I stated, the other writer is from James Madison and would know damn well what Zeta Tau Alpha's colors are. So even if part of the story is about your sorority in particular, other things that were added to the movie are not a coincidence IMO, and were added specifically to discredit ZTA.

Sorry if that was confusing. We were a sorority from 1926 to 1982. We became a co-ed fraternity in 1982 to increase numbers, but we really never had any male members until late 2000s. I said that because the writer attended in the late 80s/early 90s, when we were all women and struggling to keep membership up. It shouldn't matter whether I'm a woman or a man since it's still my organization, but I am a woman. And my last post addresses everything else in your post, so I'm not going to repeat myself.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by heyitszeta

It shouldn't matter whether I'm a woman or a man since it's still my organization, but I am a woman.

It doesn't matter, I was just thinking of your other post where you asked about being more "traditional" and just from the way you were asking, I thought you were a guy saying "how do we get the 80 year old dudes to deal with the fact that we let girls in?" Plus, most coeds were all male groups first, rather than the other way around (just looking at the overall history).

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Oh, and the other writer went to James Madison, so I would wager she is MORE than aware of national sororities and who has what color.

Originally Posted by 33girl

Even if it is about your group, the addition of the turquoise color was something they did NOT need to do - as I stated, the other writer is from James Madison and would know damn well what Zeta Tau Alpha's colors are.

Unless the writer who attended JMU was actually in an NPC sorority (do we know whether she was or not?) or otherwise had a reason to pay attention to which sororities favored which colors, I wouldn't assume that the mere fact she attended JMU (current Greek participation around 12%) means she is all that familiar with Zeta Tau Alpha's colors.

[heyitszeta]

Originally Posted by 33girl

It doesn't matter, I was just thinking of your other post where you asked about being more "traditional" and just from the way you were asking, I thought you were a guy saying "how do we get the 80 year old dudes to deal with the fact that we let girls in?" Plus, most coeds were all male groups first, rather than the other way around (just looking at the overall history).

Oh, that actually wasn't me, it was our VP, but she's a girl too. She's actually how I found about this board, she was telling me about your suggestions for contacting alumni (thanks, btw!). And thanks for clearing that up, talking to people online without the tone of voice clarification can be trouble sometimes!

Originally Posted by MysticCat

Unless the writer who attended JMU was actually in an NPC sorority (do we know whether she was or not?) or otherwise had a reason to pay attention to which sororities favored which colors, I wouldn't assume that the mere fact she attended JMU (current Greek participation around 12%) means she is all that familiar with Zeta Tau Alpha's colors.

Karen Lutz (Legally Blonde screenplay author) is listed as a JMU Alpha Gam all over the internet, but she does not appear in the Directory or in the Accomplished Alpha Gams list.

Her MySpace also lists Alpha Gam: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm...endid=86907977

[nittanyalum]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

Unless the writer who attended JMU was actually in an NPC sorority (do we know whether she was or not?) or otherwise had a reason to pay attention to which sororities favored which colors, I wouldn't assume that the mere fact she attended JMU (current Greek participation around 12%) means she is all that familiar with Zeta Tau Alpha's colors.

Honestly, if you stop me on the street and ask me what other org's colors are, I'd probably draw a blank for most.

[als463]

Okay...I'm not as mad about this movie as most people in my GLO or any of the Zetas because like someone mentioned before-it may do as well as "sorority boys" or whatever and make no real mark on the world...Think about it-the Delta Omicron Gammas in "Sorority Boys" could have been seen as DGs...right?

One thing I will say, however, is that if you want to argue the point that they don't really seem to care what organization they use in this movie-you could check out this:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0852713/fullcredits#cast

Notice, they blatantly use "Phi Mu" for Jennifer Tisdale, Emily Wilson, Isis Harris, and DeNah Angel.

They also use: "Horny Sigma Pi" Ben Ziff, Alpha Chi Rho (which one of the screenwriters-after looking at her MySpace page..the Alpha Gam girl was a little sister to), and Kappa Sigma #1. So, the names are blatantly Sigma Pi, AChiRho and Kappa Sigma....So, it's clear that this was no "accident" to use these names...

So, it's not just bad for Phi Mu and Zeta-it could make these fraternities look bad-too....however, you want to read into it.

Let's just hope this movie doesn't really hurt the Greek scene...

[epchick]

Originally Posted by als463

Let's just hope this movie doesn't really hurt the Greek scene...

Yeah that is what everyone thought about the TV show Greek as well. And it didn't. Seriously, I think people are reading too much into this movie.

What is everyone worried about? That there are gonna be PNMs that come to a ZTA recruitment party and think "oh this is the house from House Bunny that has all the ugly chicks?" Is that the kind of person you want in your organization anways?

[nittanyalum]

I understand the concern and I give those that are ticked all the room they want to be ticked, it's not my org so I don't have any judgement about how you should or shouldn't feel.

But trying to be as objective as possible and looking for any kind of silver lining, the old marketing adage "There's no such thing as bad publicity" has been around forever for a reason. It's true. In a field of 26 NPC sororities, your org (or something similar enough to evoke connection to your GLO) and all these other orgs posted above are front-and-center. In dealing with today's generation and the half-a-second attention span everyone has, anything that gets your name known and makes your name stick is a plus. The movie is obviously a parody, the preview I saw, honestly, I thought made the sorority look positive, the one being made fun of the most is obviously the ditsy playboy girl. And it won't be the worst thing if an incoming freshman comes on campus, signs up for rush, sees the list of sororities and says, "Oh, ZTA! That's like in that movie!" And then boom, she and all her rush group are talking about the movie and left and right and left and right all everyone's hearing is "zeta, zeta, zeta". I actually feel bad for all the other groups this fall, no one else will have had a major motion picture out to get their name known among the masses before school starts, and for all they know, they may end up sitting there talking to rushees in their own houses about the movie and thus continuing to bring people's minds back to Zeta. As long as the real chapters on the campuses just do their thing to show their true selves and have great rushes, they have a huge opportunity to attach all that pre-set name recognition to their wonderful selves and get everyone wanting to go back to ZTA every round.

Just another perspective... lemonade out of lemons and all that.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by OTW

Karen Lutz (Legally Blonde screenplay author) is listed as a JMU Alpha Gam all over the internet, but she does not appear in the Directory or in the Accomplished Alpha Gams list.

Her MySpace also lists Alpha Gam: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm...endid=86907977

Thanks. Interesting that she's so widely listed as an Alpha Gam, but she doesn't appear in the directory.

If she is indeed an Alpha Gam, then I would agree that (rather than having gone to JMU) would tend to support the idea that she might know or should know ZTA's colors.

But her tan scares me.

Originally Posted by nittanyalum

Honestly, if you stop me on the street and ask me what other org's colors are, I'd probably draw a blank for most.

You and my Kappa wife.

[SthrnZeta]

Originally Posted by DSTCHAOS

And I still say that Local trumps National.

You can't prove otherwise, either.

You seem to always want to argue for the sake of arguing...

Originally Posted by DSTCHAOS

Afterall, this is a Greek Life thread about a new movie making fun of "Greeks."

If the ZTAs had started a thread in THEIR forum about THEIR concerns and THEIR national headquarter's statement, perhaps we wouldn't have cared to comment.

Um, we did. Thanks. But ZTA isn't the only org ripped off here, hence it being brought to Greek Life.

Originally Posted by 33girl

Because they are initially portrayed as a group of ugly, socially unacceptable girls who no one wants to join. They don't prevail in the end because of anything they do on their own or their inner beauty - they prevail because a Playboy Bunny gives them a makeover.

To heyitszeta - you are a co-ed fraternity, not a sorority. No one is going to confuse you with the group in the movie.

Even fewer people are going to remember ZTZ as a sorority since you yourself said you are a co-ed org. That fact itself distances your org quite a bit from ZAZ in the movie.

[SthrnZeta]

Originally Posted by nittanyalum

I understand the concern and I give those that are ticked all the room they want to be ticked, it's not my org so I don't have any judgement about how you should or shouldn't feel.

But trying to be as objective as possible and looking for any kind of silver lining, the old marketing adage "There's no such thing as bad publicity" has been around forever for a reason. It's true. In a field of 26 NPC sororities, your org (or something similar enough to evoke connection to your GLO) and all these other orgs posted above are front-and-center. In dealing with today's generation and the half-a-second attention span everyone has, anything that gets your name known and makes your name stick is a plus. The movie is obviously a parody, the preview I saw, honestly, I thought made the sorority look positive, the one being made fun of the most is obviously the ditsy playboy girl. And it won't be the worst thing if an incoming freshman comes on campus, signs up for rush, sees the list of sororities and says, "Oh, ZTA! That's like in that movie!" And then boom, she and all her rush group are talking about the movie and left and right and left and right all everyone's hearing is "zeta, zeta, zeta". I actually feel bad for all the other groups this fall, no one else will have had a major motion picture out to get their name known among the masses before school starts, and for all they know, they may end up sitting there talking to rushees in their own houses about the movie and thus continuing to bring people's minds back to Zeta. As long as the real chapters on the campuses just do their thing to show their true selves and have great rushes, they have a huge opportunity to attach all that pre-set name recognition to their wonderful selves and get everyone wanting to go back to ZTA every round.

Just another perspective... lemonade out of lemons and all that.

Thank you for that. That's a good point that hadn't really been well-made yet, and you're very right.

[DSTCHAOS]

Originally Posted by SthrnZeta

You seem to always want to argue for the sake of arguing...

I'm posting my opinion. You're responding because you want my attention or something. You certainly haven't changed my opinion or given me a reason to.

Move around a little...I promise I won't miss you.

Originally Posted by SthrnZeta

But ZTA isn't the only org ripped off here, hence it being brought to Greek Life.

Hence the responses. Some of the ZTAs acted butthurt over the differing opinions and here we are.